In the United States, more than fifty percent of the adult population consider themselves fans of Taylor Swift, according to a survey by Morning Consult, and this demographic is steadily on the rise.
The country singer turned pop icon is Spotify’s most streamed artist as of November 2023, and has an enormous, extremely loyal fanbase. And Swift knows exactly how to keep those fans happy. In the past three years, Swift has released seven albums.
Since March of this year, Swift has toured both the United States and a multitude of countries across the world in her massive, spectacle-filled Eras Tour – a concert in which Swift plays music from each of her albums, showing her journey through the 17 years of her life since she entered the music industry.
The film version of the tour was released on October 13 and has broken numerous box office records, including becoming the highest-grossing concert film of all time. About 11.5 million people across America watched the film on its very first day, and the highly anticipated October movie has received great reviews from a variety of sources. It is projected to remain in theaters like the Connecticut Post Mall’s Cinemark in Milford at least through December, according to CNBC.
Swift has been a part of a hard-fought battle to obtain ownership of her music since mid-2019 and has been rerecording her original albums since 2021. The third rerecording, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), was released in July of this year, and this rerecording meant there were only two albums left which she didn’t yet own the rights to.
On October 27, people worldwide stayed up to listen to Swift’s newest rerecording, 1989 (Taylor’s Version). The original version of this album solidified Swift’s transition to pop, and to many fans is one of the most important milestones in her career. The album contains many of her most well-known songs, including “Blank Space” and “Shake It Off”, as well as five “vault tracks” that had never before been heard. Seeing it rereleased was meaningful for most, if not all of her dedicated fans, who were thrilled to see it join the list of her other rerecorded albums.
Swift is an accomplished philanthropist as well as a successful musician, often donating to charities such as the Make-a-Wish Foundation and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
Freshman Natalia Vitiello, a self-proclaimed “Swiftie” (Name for a member of Swift’s fanbase), states, “She’s a great songwriter – she has really powerful lyrics and has defied music industry standards.”
Eras Tour sweatshirts and other merchandise bearing Swift’s name or likeness can be spotted throughout school grounds on a daily basis, proving just how popular and prevalent Swift really is within the Foran community.
Freshman Alissa Parry, a fellow fan, provides more of a reason for her obsession, highlighting the positive influence that a singer with as much presence as Swift is able to utilize, especially when it comes to younger audiences.
“She’s very inspiring towards young people,” says Parry, bringing up Swift’s frequent involvement when it comes to helping the next generation harness their voices and use them for the greater good.
